England Premier League
Tuesday 29th December 2020
Kick off at 6pm GMT
Venue: Amex Stadium
Match Preview:
At the weekend Brighton drew their third consecutive game as they continue to keep their heads just above water in the Premier League survival stakes. Graham Potter’s side have just a 2 point safety net and could close the gap to Arsenal to just a point as it is 16th v 15th.
The latest draw for Brighton came at West Ham where the game finished 2-2 and they will feel disappointed with the result given that they had been pegged back not once but twice. Still a point away to West Ham is not the worst result but the club have not tasted victory since November 21st when they beat Aston Villa.
At home Brighton have yet to win a game with 4 draws and three defeats and with just 7 goals scored, there must be concerns at the club. Most clubs that survive at least have a decent home record. Still there has been just 1 defeat for the club in their last five home encounters.
Arsenal surprised many as they won just their 3rd game at home when they beat Chelsea 3-1. Not many were expecting such a result at this stage of the season given how poor Arsenal had been in recent weeks. It was the Gunners first victory since beating Manchester United at the beginning of November and they were well worth it.
So can the Chelsea victory be seen as some sort of restart for Arsenal this season, or was it just a one off blip? The Gunners are still in 15th but even a loss in this game can’t make them drop down a position and they are six points from the bottom three. A win could move them up a couple of places. But in more important ways victory would surely signal a major confidence boost to the side going forward into next year.
The problem for Arsenal is their away form with just 2 wins this season and only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored less than Mikel Arteta’s side on the road.
Team News:
Brighton: Aaron Connelly will face a test as his groin injury kept him out of the last game. Adam Lallana has only just come back but has a groin injury and is a doubt. Tariq Lamptey’s return has been pushed back for another 2-3 weeks.
Arsenal: Gabriel is ill and will not feature for at least 10 days. David Luiz could return after being ill and will be assessed. Willian like Luiz has been ill and is in line to return. Thomas Partey is still injured with his thigh and no update has been given.
Brighton vs Arsenal Head to Head:
Last season Brighton won this fixture 2-1.
Brighton have won the last two meetings against Arsenal.
Arsenal have not beaten Brighton since away from home since 2015.
The last five meetings have seen both teams to score.
Brighton vs Arsenal Prediction:
Brighton have the 2nd to worst home record in the league although the majority of their results here have finished in draws. Despite how poor Arsenal have been they clearly have the better side and it’s about their players clicking. One has to presume that the victory over Chelsea will have given the Gunners a boost of much needed confidence.
At the same time Brighton have been able to hold Liverpool to a draw here and won’t roll over. We expect the home side to get their chances, but if Arsenal can play with the same intensity and desire as they did against Chelsea this should be a straight forward victory.
Brighton vs Arsenal Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Arsenal) at 1.65
Both teams to score at 1.72
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